


Mission: Outcasts

by Digigal_transbian



Series: Translucent Pink [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Corrupted Gems, Crystal Gems, Gem Fusion, Gen, Homeworld (Steven Universe), Homeworld Gems - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digigal_transbian/pseuds/Digigal_transbian
Summary: After the debacle in the Courtroom, Blue Diamond makes plans to keep an eye on Pink from afar, to try and learn why Earth is so important to her in the first place.
Relationships: Blue Diamond's Pearl/Yellow Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Topaz/Topaz (Steven Universe)
Series: Translucent Pink [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718503
Comments: 20
Kudos: 74





	1. New Orders

Blue Pearl was curious.

The organic holding Rose Quartz's gem fled the courtroom, stole Her Diamond's palanquin and a Zircon, and yet neither of the Diamonds did anything but freeze in shock. Yellow's Zircon was quietly bubbled by Yellow Diamond and sent off to her bubble chamber before both Diamonds retired to their chambers, still silent. But why? Why not give chase, no orders were given to have them captured, no orders to make a move on Earth before the organic can return, nothing.

She followed her Diamond on the wordless command to her extraction chamber. The two enter the room and she stops where she should, at the base of the stairs leading to the pool.

"Pearl," Blue Diamond spoke quietly, her first words since the trial, "Join me at the top, would you?"

"Yes, My Diamond." She was honoured, being allowed near a Diamond during her extraction was unheard of, especially for a Pearl. She gracefully attempted to climb up the stairs that were just shorter than her. By the time she reached the top, her Diamond was already settled in the extraction pool.

"All this time, she was right there. I mourned a shattering that never happened for thousands of years." Blue Diamond sighs, "Where did we go wrong, Pearl? Why would she start this war, why would she fake her own shattering, why would she embed herself in a human child after all this time?"

"I'm not sure, My Diamond."

"Why would she run off for Earth?" Blue Diamond asks in a way that doesn't expect an answer, "Why start a war against us, her family? We wronged her greatly somewhere, but where?"

"If I remember correctly, My Diamond," Blue Pearl speaks up, as she does whenever the two are in private, "The Crystal Gems fought for freedom against the current gem society."

"Yes, they did." Blue Diamond responds, "Have we been too rigid with our gems, Pearl? Have we failed not only our Pink, but all of our gems?"

"You have treated me well, My Diamond." Blue Pearl doesn't know how to answer for the Earth gems, but she knows Her Diamond respects her advice and service, "I'm not sure about how the lives of the Earth gems differ from the gems of Homeworld, though."

Blue Diamond sits up a little straighter as if she's had an idea.

"You don't know how Earth gems live." Blue Diamond states, her voice carrying less weight than usual.

"Yes, My Diamond."

"But maybe… I'd have to ask Yellow. We'll figure something out."

"My Diamond?" Blue Pearl asks, genuinely unsure of where Her Diamond is going with this.

Blue Diamond looks her Pearl in the eyes and smiles.

"We won't fail her again."

☆◇☆

A few weeks have passed since Blue Pearl had that conversation with Her Diamond. Since then, Blue Diamond approached Yellow Diamond alone, their conversation happening behind closed doors.

Yellow Diamond chimes in through the Diamond Line, she answers immediately and hands the communicator to Her Diamond.

"One of my Emeralds reported a stolen ship recently, the Sun Incinerator." Yellow starts with no preamble, "The ship is reported to be piloted by off colors and an organic, the one from the trial, but one of the hidden cameras has shown Pink appearing and disappearing through the organic's hair periodically."

Blue Diamond seemed to light up at that, a sign that Pink might still be living on Earth. She still visits the organic from time to time, and she's not on the ship constantly, so she must be visiting off and on from somewhere.

"Then the plan can commence," Blue Diamond smiles softly, "Let's begin gathering-"

She's cut off by a chime coming from the door. A terrifyingly familiar bubble phases through the door itself before fading away to reveal a gem feared throughout the empire.

White Diamond's Pearl.

"Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond," The stiff, unmoving pearl speaks with perfect intonation, "Your presence is required. Bring your Pearls."

White's Pearl leaves and Blue Pearl lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. White Diamond wants to see the four of them. Stars, is she going to be replaced? Is White going to do to her what she did to Pink Diamond's first Pearl?

She doesn't notice her shaking in fear until Her Diamond places a finger on her back gently, causing her to jump away with wide eyes. She turns to see Blue Diamond's concerned expression and begins profusely apologizing.

"My Diamond! I-" She tries to apologize that is, but Blue Diamond stood her in her tracks.

"I won't let White harm you, Pearl." Blue Diamond says with absolute certainty. Pearl can feel the promise deep in her very soul, a command into the void, to no one in particular, "If White wants to take you, she'll have to go through me."

Blue Diamond picks her up and gently places her in the loop of her hair with a reassuring smile. Pearl might be afraid of White Diamond, but she trusts Her Diamond more.

☆◇☆

When the two arrive, they see Yellow Diamond and her Pearl are already there, waiting for them. Blue's Pearl leaps out of Blue's loop of hair and lands gracefully at the base of her dress.

The two Diamonds look at each other briefly and nod, before turning to their Pearls and giving the silent command that it's time to go in. When they enter, they see White Diamond glowing brighter than usual.

"Sunlight, Moonlight! There you are!" White Diamond begins, "Word on the ore vein is that you were planning to send your Pearls to Earth to keep an eye on Pink."

The two Diamonds gulp in fear, despite not needing to. The Pearls' eyes widen at the mention of being sent to Earth.

"Yes, we were." Yellow Diamond speaks, her voice wavering only slightly, "It's been thousands of years, now that we know Pink is still alive and living on Earth, we can wait a few years yet before dealing with that issue ourselves."

"But your Pearls?"

"If we're going to handle the situation properly," Blue Diamond takes over, "We need to know what it is that keeps gems on Earth before we can make any final judgements. As for why our Pearls, they're the gems we trust the most with a mission like this."

"I see."

The chamber is completely silent for a minute, but to the Pearls, it feels like days. Even their Diamonds look a little uneasy, but that's just how being around White Diamond is. What she says is final, arguing it could only lead to your shattering or worse, she'll use her powers on you.

"Continue on as you were with your little mission, but my Pearl is joining the excursion to personally oversee ."

"Of Course, White." Both Diamonds say in perfect unison, bringing a smile to White's lips.

Both Pearls look each other in the eyes with matching levels of discomfort. White's Pearl coming with them? For the whole trip of who knows how long?

"Go," White Diamond says with a wave of the hand, "Make your preparations, my Pearl will be at the briefing."

"Yes, White." The two matriarchs bow before ushering their Pearl's to follow.

☆◇☆

Aquamarine's Topaz guards, the Diamond's personal Pearl's, and the prosecuting Zircon from the trial of Rose Quartz gather in the throne room of the Great Diamond Authority, on orders from Yellow and Blue Diamond. Their Diamonds have not arrived yet, but the presence of White Diamond's Pearl fills them all with a level of anxiety and anticipation.

If she's there, it must be extremely important.

The Diamonds enter the room and take their seats on their respective thrones, breaking the gems out of their thoughts. The matriarchs' eyes wander over the present six gems appraisingly, finalizing any mental plans before speaking them into finality.

"You all have been chosen for a mission of the utmost importance." Yellow begins, getting straight to the point, "It has recently come to our attention that Pink Diamond's shattering was a farce. Pink Diamond is still alive, and living on Earth, her gem inside one of the local organics."

"Your mission is not to capture Pink Diamond or the Crystal Gems." Blue Diamond speaks, "Your mission will be to integrate yourself in their ranks. We want you to live among them, learn about them, so that we can more properly handle this situation."

"The cover story you will give the Crystal Gems is that after the trial of Rose Quartz,"Blue Diamond continues, "Zircon approached the two Topaz for extra information about Earth, in the event of any future cases against the planet. The story she heard from the Topazes struck a chord with her, and not long later, we ordered that Zircon is to be shattered for the knowledge uncovered during the trial."

"Blue sent her Pearl after Zircon first," Yellow Diamond takes over, "But she managed to convince her to flee, when I sent my Pearl after Zircon, she managed to be convinced to join your ragtag band of misfits. You found a Warship in the docks that was to bring Diamond Essence to the Kindergartens on White 3." Yellow Diamond's face gets deathly serious, "You will stick to your cover story on pain of shattering, if you have to improvise, do so."

"But what about White Diamond's Pearl, My Diamonds?" The Yellow Zircon speaks up, she can see how the other gems fit into the equation, but White's Pearl is an odd inclusion.

"She's a stowaway you found on the ship and managed to convince to join your cause." Yellow Diamond informs the group, "As for White's Control over her, you will say White loosened her control over her while Pearl did some routine check ups. During that period of weakened control was when you took action."

The gems take a moment to take this all in, they've been personally selected by the Diamonds to keep a careful eye on Pink Diamond and the Crystal Gems up close. A quick glance around the room and the gems notice that White Diamond's Pearl has loosened up, still standing at attention, but her eye is a bright pink. Her pink eye seems to glow against the staunch blacks and whites of the rest of her body, its jarring, but a little more comforting for the rest of the gems.

"You will report at regular intervals," Blue Diamond picks back up, "Or whenever you can get away from the gems, any updates on the situation. We want to know how things are there by their rules. Keep an open mind, let them in, your being genuine will help this mission go smoothly. Are there any questions?"

The gems all stand at attention and salute their Diamond, including White's Pearl, who up to this point has barely so much as twitched.

"Excellent." Yellow Diamond grins, "A ship has been prepared for you with all the amenities, as well as a large stock of robonoids, on Pink Diamond's old landing pad. Take inventory of the ship's stores and depart immediately for Earth."

"Yes, My Diamonds." All six gems reply in unison before heading out to their waiting ship.


	2. Takeoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On this episode of Mission: Outcasts, The Motley Crew perform final checks and discover that they won't be entirely alone on this mission while Yellow Diamond has a crisis in her throne room.

The motley crew that was to be sent to earth stared up at the warship with a mixture of anticipation and dread filling their gems.

Their Diamonds have personally chosen them for a highly important mission, which is exciting and makes them all feel highly honoured to be trusted with such a task. That mission is to go to Earth, home of the rebel Crystal Gems that now seem to be pretty not defunct, which terrifies Yellow Zircon and Blue Pearl. 

The Topazes are high ranking soldiers, they'll be able to hold their own if anything comes to blows. Yellow Pearl is far too cocky to be afraid of the rebels, but her Diamond has also imposed that she learns emergency combat procedures in case of an emergency, so she can at least wield a destabilizer confidently. Most soldier's Pearls have at least basic combat training with destabilizers ever since Pink Diamond was (not) shattered.

Yellow Zircon can't get enough of a read on White Pearl to decide if she's got any nerves about the mission ahead.

Yellow Zircon suspects this crew was only chosen because they know about the fake shattering in question and sending them off to Earth lowers the chance of that knowledge spreading around Homeworld by any means. She's not sure how the Topazes fit into that, but maybe they're just emergency muscle.

Yellow Zircon shakes her head and focuses on the vibrant green Warship in front of them. It's a sight most gems see regularly as they take off from the docks constantly, but up close, it never fails to be imposing. The mechanical green hand looms over them, a monument to the sheer weight of the mission ahead. After a few moments of taking in the sight, the two Topazes step forward and take command. They do hold higher ranking in the caste system compared to Zircons and Pearls, after all. The two of them have also piloted similar vessels before, so that certainly helps matters.

Ultimately the two Topazes decided to put White Pearl verifying the amount of Diamond Essence they would have as cargo, Yellow Pearl taking inventory of weaponry and similar enhancements, and Blue Pearl taking inventory of the robonoids on the ship while the two of them perform final diagnostics on the ship itself.

Leaving Yellow Zircon with nothing to do.

Well.

Might as well make herself useful, she decides.

She takes herself over to one of the consoles and begins reading through any files the Lattice Archive has on the Crystal Gems and Earth, if that's their destination, they might as well know as much about them as possible. She summons her tablet from her gem and saves a copy of all the information present to it for later reading. While she's at the station, she saves any files on ship repairs and maintenance to her device in case of any malfunctions and connection loss. And some files on Robonoid repairs…

A few minutes later she finishes downloading a copy of the entire archive, just to be safe. Right Topaz looks over in her direction and nods silently in approval before turning back to the ship diagnostics.

Three screens in front of the two Topazes ping as the Pearls send back their inventory reports. Left Topaz focuses on the ship's status while Right Topaz reads through the inventory. Right Topaz's eyes widen at some of the figures, there's enough materials onboard the ship to supply a small asteroid's colonization process, Yellow Pearl even found a few replicator wands and a machine for harvesting more materials in a pinch.

Right Topaz blinked in confusion. What purpose does having all these colonization materials serve? The cover story is that they stole a ship that was heading out to supplement the White 3 colony's kindergartens, but the cargo hold of the ship is practically full. Try as she might, she can't seem to understand why the Diamonds would go this far? Surely only half of these would be necessary to make a believable 'stolen kindergarten supply ship'. The Diamonds certainly spared no expense with this mission, but why?

Before she can question the motives of the Diamonds any more, the Pearls arrive on the bridge and wordlessly take positions at various consoles. They've done enough take off procedures to know how things go.

Without a word, Left Topaz bumps Right Topaz's shoulder and nods as they begin the take off sequence.

☆◇☆

Meanwhile, back in Yellow Diamond's throne room, Blue Diamond finds Yellow Diamond laying on the floor, face down and groaning after a briefing with some Rubies. 

"Y-yellow?" Blue Diamond asks, more confused than concerned.

"Rubies, Blue." Yellow groans out, tired and frustrated from her earlier meeting with the gems, "Rubies are so clod damned dumb, Blue."

"I know Yellow," Blue smiles amusedly while patting Yellow's back gently, "I know."

"If anything is going to cause me to crack one day, it'll be the sheer stupidity of unwatched Rubies."

"I know, Yellow."

☆◇☆

The crew wasn't expecting any messages from the Diamonds so soon, but the message on the view screen in front of them certainly proved them wrong. A message from Yellow Diamond informing them of an update to the plan. They were barely out of Homeworld's star system when the message arrived; Left Topaz set it to play on the main view screen with a questioning look on her face.

"A band of five Rubies will be joining you all on Earth, they're following just behind you in a Roaming Eye. Keep them out of trouble, or not, I frankly don't care either way." The holographic Yellow Diamond said, sounding significantly more tired than usual before the message ended.

Blue Pearl runs the scanner and sure enough, there's a Roaming Eye following them very intently.

How could this mission possibly fail?


	3. Long Ride Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew bonds over the legendary intelligence of rubies.

The bridge of the ship was uncomfortably quiet.

The six gems on board knew what their mission would entail, but none of them were willing to break the silence. It was something that none of them had experience in, something that none of them could have ever hoped to be prepared for when it happened. They knew, deep down, that it would have to be done before they arrived on the planet Earth, but none of them knew how to address the issue. What plagued them was the most accursed thing, enemy to introverts and a majority of Homeworld gems alike, the cosmic commonality.

Casual social interaction.

Yellow Zircon, probing through her mind, came to an unpleasant train of thought.

"Blue Pearl?" She asks tentatively, dreading the answer, "What are some of the specifics of the Rubies that are following us, were they recently assigned to Earth?"

"They were." Blue Pearl softly replies.

"Oh, stars…" Yellow Zircon drifts off, worried, "Do you think the Diamonds sent us on this mission to get rid of us?"

"Get rid of us?" Yellow Pearl asks, "Why would our lustrous Diamonds want to get rid of us?"

"Because we know."

"What do we know?" White Pearl asks.

"Everything!" Yellow Zircon exclaims with a nervous shout, "We know the Crystal Gems are still on Earth, we know details about Rose Quartz, we know that Pink Diamond is still alive! We all have potentially damaging information to the stability of the gem empire and they could be sending us off towards the failed colony so we'll all be in one place while they shatter us!"

"Or send Them to shatter us…" The right eared Topaz whimpers.

"Tanzanite…" Her left eared counterpart whispers in horror.

"Tanzanite would be far too excessive, I doubt the Diamonds would send them when they could use a much more personal touch."

"It doesn't matter if Tanzanite is sent by the Diamonds or not, if they catch wind of this mission they could just as easily shatter us and make up a story to appease them."

"Lets not load that gun, you all." White Pearl steps in, "We should focus on Earth and our mission first, before we start running through a million different theories."

"Right, sorry." Zircon apologizes, "What was the Rubies' last mission to Earth? Maybe we can figure out how welcoming the Crystal Gems might be to us from it."

"Of course," Blue Pearl replies, pulling up the mission file in question, "It says here that the Rubies were assigned to collect a Red Striped Jasper, were directed by locals to the planet Neptune, forgot their mission and returned to Homeworld."

Yellow Zircon blinked blankly while Yellow Pearl stifled a laugh. Zircon calmly stood and walked out of the room, her footsteps revealing slightly through the halls. Once she felt she was at a decent enough distance, she let out a groan that became progressively louder and more exasperated and could be heard from the bridge.

None among the bridge crew were immune to the urge to laugh at the Zircon's groan, Yellow Pearl bursting into laughter while Blue Pearl hid a small chuckle behind her hand. When the offending Zircon returned to the bridge, her hair was a wild mess as she gracelessly plopped herself back into her seat.

"Of course they forgot their mission- How do you even forget a mission as simple as that?! It's like me forgetting how to be a prosecutor!" Zircon groans, "Aren't the missions always recorded in the ship's database in the event that they somehow forget their mission?"

"The-they are," Yellow Pearl replies through her laughter, "That rule was even specifically put in place because of Rubies forgetting their solo missions somewhat frequently."

"You're shattering me, really?"

"I shard you not, Yellow Diamond put that rule in place because her Rubies kept forgetting their mission objectives, this is about ten thousand revolutions ago, mind you."

"One of the natives in the file is noted as having blue skin, and was described exactly like a Lapis Lazuli. According to all the files we have from Pink Diamond's zoo, humans don't come in blue."

"How does that even- nope." Yellow Zircon stops herself, "These are Rubies we're talking about, of course they'd forget what a Lapis Lazuli looks like."

"I think it's all the red that makes them so Highly intelligent." Yellow Pearl teases, getting a laugh out of her Blue counterpart and the Topazes.

"You might have a point there." White Pearl speaks up, a contemplative look on her face, "Who knows, maybe if they were a little more orange they might have a weak form of precognition."

The two Topazes lean into each other with a soft chuckle and fuse without thinking. The other gems on the bridge look at her and blink confusedly.

"I just like being like this." The Topaz fusion says, shrinking in on herself at the silent question everyone is asking. The Zircon shrugs and returns to her research concerning the Crystal Gems' history on Earth, trying to gleam a demeanor out of heavily biased information.

"As far as I understand, fusions are common among the Crystal Gems." White Pearl remarks, "I see no problem in you two staying fused. Might as well be comfortable with things like that before we arrive."

"What does it feel like?" Blue Pearl asks.

"Huh?" Topaz replies, caught off guard by the question.

"What does fusion feel like?"

The Topaz fusion is silent for a minute, thinking. A few moments later, she responds.

"It feels like being cared for, like being safe, we share a body and are vulnerable to each other in every way, but we trust that we won't hurt each other." She answers, voice ringing with absolute certainty, "It feels like love."

None of the bridge crew could do anything but smile at their captain's words. The soft spoken fusion spoke with such powerful and raw conviction that it resonated with everyone.

Yellow Zircon cracks a small smile at the description. On Homeworld, Zircons have never fused before, there's been no need. What purpose does a mega lawyer have when the same job can be done more efficiently by just the two separate.

Blue and Yellow Pearl share a knowing look with each other. On very rare occasions, the two would fuse while performing for their Diamonds. They never fused for long and it was always for a performance, but they agree with the Topazes. It simply feels like love. Maybe Green Pearl could meet the crew on this mission at some point.

White Pearl's lips form a small smile, but she says nothing. Instead, she checks their current location and distance from Earth. Her one good eye widens slightly in surprise at the figures on the display.

"We have arrived at our destination." White Pearl says.

As they turned to the main viewscreen, all of them saw the same thing. Right in front of them stood the planet Earth in all of her glory. Their mission has officially begun.

Time to infiltrate the Crystal Gems.


End file.
